1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of recording, and more particularly, to a method of timer recording a broadcast program.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Since the introduction of color television, a digital technology, such as stereo sound, a remote control device, and closed captioning function, to name a few, has appeared as a part of the television system. Starting in the '90s, technology related to computers and network has been rapidly increasing and such a rapid improvement has fueled the public's interest for higher quality picture and multi-function television—hence, the introduction of digital television (DTV).
Broadcasting of digital data is advantageous since all elements or factors such as video, audio, and data is converted into digital data and compressed as done with computer data. Furthermore, if video and audio is digital signal processed, the data converted into digital data, which permits transmission of digital data with other data attached thereto.
Based on current technology, it is possible to transmit one high definition television program and three standard definition television program via a single channel. By broadcasting using digital signals, the quality of the picture improves significantly. Moreover, digital signal broadcasting self-resolves problems such as ghost phenomenon, which is caused by signals bouncing off obstacles, while providing quality and sound to home systems before enjoyed only in movie theaters.
A digital television, whose advantageous are described above, is comprised of an input device such as a remote control device, an audio and video (A/V) processor for decoding audio and video signals, a data processor for separating various channel information from service information, a database for storing the separated channel information, and a controller for controlling display of menu and an Electronic Program Guide (EPG).
The operation of the digital television is as follows. The digital television receives broadcast signals. Next, a demultiplexer demultiplexes the audio and video information and the service information from the received broadcast signals. The separated audio and video signals are processed to the A/V processor, and the service information is stored in the database. Here, the service information includes Program Association Table (PAT), Time Date Table (TDT)/Time Offset Table (TOT), and Event Information Table (EIT) to name a few. More specifically, the PAT includes information related to a plurality of programs, the TDT/TOT includes time information of each program, and the EIT includes information such as title, synopsis, program rating, and start/end time of the program.
The data processor extracts the EIT information from the stored service information, and then formats the extracted information using a specified format before storing the formatted information in the database. To describe the EPG, the following figures are used.
FIG. 1 is an example of a conventional EPG menu screen, and FIG. 2 illustrates the EPG menu screen of FIG. 1 when a specific channel is selected.
In FIG. 1, the EPG menu screen illustrates channels, order of programs, and time corresponding to the programs. In FIG. 2, a viewer selects a specific channel from the EPG of FIG. 1. If the viewer selects MBC TV, for example, the EPG provides a detailed information of the current program and the following program broadcasting on MBC.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stored service information provided via the EPG menu screen, including the current program and the following program broadcasting on the selected channel, according to the viewer's selection. Furthermore, the EPG provides a list of plurality of channels, current time information, title of the program (A), time of broadcast (B), and a synopsis of the program (C).
After reviewing the provided information, the viewer can choose to record the current program or time record another program. If the program is selected to be time recorded, the controller records the time recorded program to a hard disk drive (HDD) provided internally at the scheduled time. However, if the television does not have an integrated HDD, the program can be recorded to an external device such as a video cassette recorder (VCR) or a digital video disk (DVD) recorder.
Although the conventional technology, as describe above, is functional, there are some problems that can be improved. First, the television does not have a time-record function. Second, even with the EPG, the display device cannot record if a memory device is not internally provided. Lastly, it is difficult for the viewer to time-record the VCR or the DVD recorder compared to programming the EPG of the display device to record a future program.